


We're Simply Meant to Be

by HollyShadow88



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Concerts, Cute, Halloween, Kid Fic, Kid John, Kid Sherlock, M/M, Sherlock Plays the Violin, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Violins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-24 07:51:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8364031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HollyShadow88/pseuds/HollyShadow88
Summary: It's Sherlock's violin class' first violin concert and the students are putting on a 'special' performance for their families to celebrate Halloween.  Sherlock tolerates it, but it's the little boy he meets after that makes the evening actually interesting.  (Based on an actual event)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all can thank one of my group chats for this little fic. I was telling them the other day that my first violin concert when I was about nine was a Halloween one, right after we had just started to learn how to play, and it went exactly like this (except for the part where I knew how to play like Sherlock does and I met John after). Thus, this fic was born. The title comes from The Nightmare Before Christmas (Jack: "My dearest friend, if you don't mind...I'd like to join you by your side. Where we can gaze into the stars... Jack and Sally: And sit together, now and forever. For it is plain, as anyone can see. We're simply meant to be.). Fun fact, Ms. Ingram was actually the name of one of my violin teachers. I hope you all enjoy!

The students lined up outside the gymnasium, the sounds of parents settling into their seats inside drowned out by the excited chatter in the corridor.  Ms. Ingram rushed from one end of the line to the other as she attempted to bring organization to the chaos.  The act of attempting to corral a group of twenty nine-year-olds, hyped up on adrenaline due to nerves, was a futile one, however.  The promise of a party with sweets afterwards certainly didn’t help.

Sherlock stood with his violin tucked under his arm, glaring at the girl next to him as she waved her bow haphazardly in the air.  He ducked out of the way just as it the curved end narrowly missed jabbing him in the eye.  He shrank further against the wall with a huff, attempting to stay out of the girl’s way.  In the process, he leaned directly into the path of the long tail of the boy who stood ahead of him in line.  Kicking it away, he groaned in frustration and rolled his eyes up at the ceiling, clutching his violin closer to his chest.

Their class only began a month before, leaving most of them barely even able to hold their violins, let alone able to play any notes on them.  They’d been invited to join one of the older classes in their annual autumn concert and since it was Halloween, Ms. Ingram and the older class’ conductor decided to give the show a spooky theme that year.  The younger students had a special role that was meant to be a surprise for their parents and were invited to come decked out in their fancy dress.  Sherlock began playing violin years before, but the only way for him to play it at school was with Ms. Ingram, so he reluctantly joined the others as well as continuing his own private lessons.  Times such as these, when he was surrounded by his classmates and forced to deal with their awful playing, made him reconsider whether it was such a wise choice.

“Alright, is everybody ready?” Ms. Ingram asked, voice carrying over the noise.  The clamor died slightly, but nothing could stop them completely as they jostled and argued their way into the gymnasium after Ms. Ingram.  The older class already sat in a half circle before the rows of folding chairs where the parents waited, their teacher at the front.  They passed around to congregate behind the original orchestra, Ms. Ingram working quickly to situate them in two rows. 

Sherlock stood in the middle of the first row, the conductor directly in his line of sight, and he immediately sought out Mummy.  She, Dad, and Mycroft sat near the doors they just walked through, next to another set of parents with a boy who looked a few years younger than Mycroft.  His sandy blonde hair just barely poked around the shoulder of woman in the chair ahead of him, but Sherlock could see his scuffed white trainers kicking back and forth under the chair legs.  Before he could pay the boy any more mind, Ms. Ingram and the conductor were calling them to attention, their faces plastered with nervous smiles.

The conductor lifted his baton, the older orchestra immediately following his lead.  Sherlock copied them automatically, although Ms. Ingram would be telling their group when it would be time for them to play.  She shot him a grin and nod and he straightened, refusing to lower his violin as the sitting students began the piece.  After a few bars, she motioned for the violinists to get into position for their parts.  Just as the song hit a crescendo, they set their bows to the small bit of string between the bridge and the fine tuners where playing was normally forbidden.  Ms. Ingram waved her hands frantically and the group scrubbed their bows as loud and fast as they could across the strings, the noise they made eerie and obnoxious at the same time.  Their audience shifted in their seats, murmuring at the sudden noise, and Ms. Ingram cut her arm through the air to bring them to a stop.  A few students continued a second too long, but the song continued without any major hitches, their violins jumping in with the appropriate screeching when prompted.  When the conductor brought the piece to an end, their audience reluctantly clapped their appreciation, Sherlock agreeing with the slight frowns and raised eyebrows at the annoying excuses for music their group had added.  

Once the applause died down, Ms. Ingram started collecting the class together, attempting to disperse students off to their parents so they could begin setting up for the party.  Ignoring her, Sherlock headed towards where his parents sat, but found the three seats empty.  Instead, he found the boy seated at the third chair in, his legs still swinging from where they hung a few inches above the floor.  When he spotted Sherlock at the end of the row, his face lit up in a bright smile and he jumped down to run toward him.

“Hi, I’m John!” he said.  He glanced down at the violin in Sherlock’s hand and pointed at it eagerly.  “Do you play in the orchestra?”

Sherlock clutched his violin closer.  “Yes.  You don’t normally play on that part of the violin but Ms. Ingram said it was okay because it was part of the piece.  I think she was making it up because the other students can’t play the notes right, but Mummy says I can’t say those sorts of things since it’s mean.”

John giggled into his hand.  “My sister Harry plays the violin too.  Even when she plays the regular notes, it doesn’t sound like what it’s supposed to.”  He nodded at Sherlock’s chest.  “I like your costume.  Are you Dracula?”

Frowning, Sherlock glanced down at himself.  “No.  This is what I always wear to a concert.”

“Looks like Dracula, or a vampire,” John said with a shrug.  “So you didn’t come in fancy dress?”

“I don’t have a fancy dress.”

John’s mouth gaped open as though Sherlock personally offended him.  “What d’you mean, you don’t have fancy dress?  What’re you going as for Halloween?”

With a shrug, Sherlock plucked at one of the violin’s strings.  “Halloween’s silly.  I’m not going.”

John shook his head and reached out his hand to pull Sherlock behind him as he rushed out into the room.  “You can’t not go to Halloween!  Halloween’s the best holiday of the year, ‘cept for Christmas!  Come on, let’s go find Mum, I bet she’d let you come with Harry and me!”

“But -!”

“MUM!”  John shouted across the gymnasium, his mother’s head shooting around in alarm at the sound of his voice.  “Mum, can my friend – “  He stopped, his head cocking to the side as he turned back to Sherlock.  “What’s your name?”

His voice was quiet as he answered.  “Sherlock.”

“MUM, can my friend Sherlock come to Halloween with me and Harry?”

John’s mother smiled down at them both.  “As long as it’s fine with Sherlock’s mother, he’s welcome to join us.”

Turning back to Sherlock, John let go of his arm and spread his arms out wide.  “See?  Now you can trick or treat with us!”

“But…fancy dress…”

Narrowing his eyes down at him seriously, John nodded once.  “You just need a cape and some teeth.  Then you can be Dracula for real!  Plee _eeee_ ase, Sherlock, say you’ll come with me for Halloween!  It’ll be fun!”

Sherlock studied John’s pleading expression and his shoulders slumped.  “Um, okay,” he said weakly.  Letting out a whoop, John snatched up his free hand again and looked around the room once more.

“Quick, we gotta find your mum and dad and ask if it’s okay!  This is gonna be the best Halloween ever!”  Grinning, Sherlock squeezed John’s hand, the pair of them racing off into the crowd to begin their search.


End file.
